Week 8 Recap:
Special teams have been a key for the Rockford IceHogs this season, for better or worse. When the Western Conference leading Abbotsford Heat came to the BMO, the IceHogs split power play goals with the Heat but couldn’t keep pace with them as they dropped a 4-2 decision. Rockford’s penalty kill was the Achilles’ heel of the Hogs on Saturday as they gave up four power play goals on six chances and lost the game 5-2 to the Charlotte Checkers. The IceHogs scored a short-handed goal on Sunday against Charlotte, just their second short-handed goal of the season, but gave up another power play goal and squeeked out a 4-3 win to end the week.

Bacon Bits:
-Center Joakim Nordstrom recorded his first career multi-goal game on Saturday as he scored Rockford’s only two tallies in the 5-2 loss to Charlotte
-Nordstrom is the fourth IceHogs skater (Mark McNeill, Drew LeBlanc) to register a multi-goal game on the campaign
-Defenseman Adam Clendening notched his fourth goal of the season on Sunday and now ranks third in scoring among all AHL defensemen
-Defenseman Klas Dahlbeck recorded the IceHogs second short-handed goal of the season on Sunday
-Dahlbeck now has six goals on the campaign and is tied for third among AHL defensemen on the goal scoring chart and tied for first with two game-winning goals
-The IceHogs jumped out to an early 2-0 lead on Sunday, marking just the six time this season that the Hogs have tallied the game’s first goal
-It was also only the fifth time that the IceHogs carried a lead into the first intermission
-Rockford is 5-0-1-0 when scoring first and a perfect 5-0-0-0 when leading after the opening 20 minutes
-With the IceHogs 4-3 win on Sunday goaltender Kent Simpson halted a season long four game losing streak that stretched from 10/22/13 to 11/20/13
-Rockford’s PK unit struggled in Week 8 giving up six power play goals on 14 attempts (57.1%), dropping to 29th in the AHL at 73.7% overall
-The IceHogs gave up four power play goals to Charlotte on Saturday, marking the second time in five games that the team has allowed four power play strikes
-Goaltender Mac Carruth made his AHL and IceHogs debut on Saturday against the Checkers, stopping 27-of-32 shots in the IceHogs 5-2 loss

Hot Hog: Week 8Phillip Danault, Center
Rookie center Phillip Danault tallied assists in back-to-back games for Rockford during Week 8. After being held off the score sheet on Wednesday against Abbotsford, Danault fed Joakim Nordstrom for the first of his two goals against Charlotte on Saturday. The Victoriaville, Quebec native followed it up on Sunday by dishing out an assist, while short-handed, on Klas Dahlbeck’s game-winning goal.

Upcoming Games:Wednesday, Nov. 27 vs. Milwaukee: Game time is 7 p.m. Rockford takes on the Milwaukee Admirals at the BMO Harris Bank Center on a Thanksgiving Eve clash. The game will be a WXRX Dollar Day game. Fans can purchase hot dogs, soda, beer and companion tickets for $1. Fans can also take advantage of 1/2 priced jerseys at Oink Outfitters.

Friday, Nov. 29 at Chicago: Puck drop is set for 7:30 p.m. The IceHogs head to the Allstate Arena for the first game of a two-day home and home set against the rival Chicago Wolves. This is an Illinois Lottery Cup Series game between Rockford and Chicago.

Saturday, Nov. 30 vs. Chicago: Game two of the home and home begins at 7:00 p.m. at the BMO Harris Bank Center. The IceHogs and Wolves will face-off on Teddy Bear Toss Night. The first 2,500 adults (21+) to the BMO will receive a scarf by Bud Light. This is an Illinois Lottery Cup Series game between Rockford and Chicago.

The IceHogs Broadcasting Network:
Catch every IceHogs game, home and road, in 2013-14 on WIFR’s 23.2, “Antenna TV.” The games can also be viewed on Comcast Cable Channel 436 or Mediacom 101 in the Rockford market and online through AHLlive.com. Fans can listen to the action for free on AHLlive.com. For a complete listing of TV stations carrying IceHogs games, visit IceHogs.com. Every broadcast will start with the IceHogs Warmup 30 minutes prior to puck drop.
Tickets On Sale for 2013-2014!
IceHogs individual game tickets are now on sale! Call (815) 968-5222 to reserve your seats for any IceHogs regular season game during the 2013-14 season. Tickets can also be purchased online at IceHogs.com, in person at the BMO Harris Bank Center Box Office in downtown Rockford, or any Ticketmaster outlet, including Wal-Mart. Tickets start at just $8.